


Nothing Is As Far Away As One Minute Ago

by inevitabletony



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Future Fic, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:20:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27269371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inevitabletony/pseuds/inevitabletony
Summary: After falling unconscious in 1490, Cádiz, the Originals wake in an unknown place, several centuries later with no idea what has happened to them.Getting a peek into their future, it is hard to imagine what path they could have taken that would lead them here.
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Elena Gilbert/Elijah Mikaelson
Comments: 35
Kudos: 176





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Had an extremely bad day and decided to start an Elejah fic. This fic is going to focus on Elejah but Klaroline will be present as well as some other ships if anyone expresses interest in them. 
> 
> I am going to try and update this once a week, most likely on Thursdays.

The moon was full on the eve of Imbolc. A witches’ dream some would say. A bad omen others would claim. 

Elijah glanced at the water, breathing in the fresh air. He needed to getaway. Even for a moment. Niklaus’ obsession with finding Katerina, Kol and Rebekah’s disregard for common decency, sleeping three rooms apart from where his brother lay prone in a coffin for centuries. It was getting to be too much. With no end in sight, only forever with his family to look forward to, Elijah felt these moments away from his siblings was the only thing keeping him sane. 

Tonight felt different. The crisp air wasn’t soothing the knot in his chest like usual. Instead, he felt a chill go through him, settling in his bones. The knot growing tighter. 

Something was off. Six hundred years roaming the earth gave him enough life experience to trust his instincts and right now they were screaming. 

Glancing around, Elijah could see no immediate signs of danger. He couldn’t hear anything beyond the natural wildlife of Cádiz. 

The ever-looming threat of Mikael hung over them like an executioner’s sword, a constant paranoia filled the air, even on their most carefree days. But what he was feeling right now was a different type of anxiety. He didn’t fear the thought of Mikael at this moment, but the inevitable of something else. Something unknown. 

He shook himself of those thoughts. Beyond Mikael, he had nothing to worry about. Niklaus could try to dagger him but he was stronger and faster than his brother, something they both knew, and Niklaus would not try anything in fear of retribution. With the White Oak Tree long since burned, he could never be killed. Which was sometimes a more terrifying thought than anything else his mind could conjure. 

As he stared into the moon, he could feel his eyelids growing heavier. While vampires do not require a tremendous amount of sleep, they do experience exhaustion, though Elijah could think of no time where it had hit him so suddenly in the past. He felt his consciousness slipping away and could feel a brief swell of panic blooming in his mind. He couldn’t help but wonder if this is what it felt like to be daggered. Elijah felt a pang of regret at the thought. He knew Finn was better off daggered, as he hated what their mother turned them into, but he was still their brother. Family. 

_ Family.  _

* * *

He awoke to a crash, followed by some shouting. As he blinked his eyes open, everything was a blur. His head pounded and he squeezed his eyes shut quickly as the light caused a wave of dizziness to hit him. He hasn’t felt like this since— Elijah doesn’t think he’s ever felt like this. A sickness like this surely would have taken his life when he was human and he could not get sick as a vampire. Yet here he was. Perhaps a wolf bite could have done this. Kol had taken quite ill in the fourteenth century after a run in with a pack in Scotland. They had ultimately reigned victorious, but a particularly vicious werewolf took his pound of flesh directly from Kol’s leg before Niklaus could tear his head off. 

_ “Just admit it, you bastard!”  _

So Rebekah is here. 

“ _ I didn’t dagger you, Bekah, if I had I’d bloody well say so.” _

There’s Niklaus then. 

“ _ He has a point. Why would he lie? Think he’s afraid of you, Beks?”  _

And Kol. 

“ _ Maybe not of Rebekah. But I think he recognizes his chances against four of us.” _

Finn? Now that was interesting. He could not think as to why would one of them go and undagger him. There’s been discussion of it. Over nostalgic holidays and when one of them remembered it was Finn’s birthday every couple of decades. But the feeling always passed by the next morning. 

“ _ Careful, brother, there’s only three of you awake right now. And you aren’t looking too well at the moment.” _

_ “Nine hundred years in a coffin will do that to you!”  _

_ “Oh, come off it— you're the one who was always going on about how we shouldn’t be alive in the first place. Well, I took care of the problem on your end. You are quite welcome.” _

Elijah couldn’t make sense of their conversation. Apparently, Niklaus had daggered all of them and was denying it. Knowing his brother, he wouldn’t put it past him to dagger them all if he could. But Niklaus would not be foolish enough to undagger them all at the same time. As Finn said, the four of them against him would be a slaughter. Niklaus also wouldn’t deny daggering them. His brother went about life unashamed and uninhibited. Elijah imagined if Niklaus ever got the better of him, he’d awake to bragging about it for millennia to come. 

Another loud noise, what may have been glass breaking, is what caused him to open his eyes again.

His head was still spinning but he fought through it. Swinging his leg over the edge of the couch he found himself on, garnering himself the attention of his siblings. 

They froze in place, staring at him as he got his bearings. Rebekah was poised to throw a vase at Niklaus’ head, the glass hoisted over her head, clutching a rolled up stack of paper in the other hand. Said brother was glaring at their sister heatedly about ten feet away from her. Elijah could see from the tension in his jaw he was trying to keep his cool. It was odd, Niklaus never was one to temper his impulses. 

Kol stood by Rebekah, grinning, enjoying the chaos he found himself in the middle of, as always. While Finn stood with his arms crossed at a distance from the rest of them. Elijah could see what Niklaus had meant when referring to Finn’s appearance. His hair was a tangled mess and his clothes tattered, barely holding itself together. It was odd to see his older brother awake, the vampire spending more time daggered than he had alive. 

“Sorry to interrupt your group tantrum but I seem to be out of the loop.” Elijah’s eyes flicked from sibling to sibling, “If you wouldn’t mind catching me up, it would be much appreciated.”

“Lovely for you to join us, ‘Lijah!” Niklaus looked at him with a forced grin, “If you could please talk some sense into our idiot of a sister and explain to her that I did  _ not _ dagger you all, I would be much obliged.” His brother stabbed a finger in their sister’s direction, clearly fed up with the situation. 

“Then explain this, Nik. _ "  _ Rebekah sneered, dropping the vase on the floor, waving the paper she was holding around. 

“Let me see that,” Elijah beckoned Rebekah over with two fingers, rubbing his temple with the opposite hand. 

Rebekah stomped over, throwing the grey paper in his lap with a huff, turning back to glare at Niklaus as he rolled his eyes. 

Elijah’s eyes flickered over the paper. Unfamiliar words and names like  _ America, Grammys,  _ and  _ New Orleans  _ jumped out at him. It seemed like some sort of newsletter, though the content that he could make sense of on the page felt frivolous at best and vulgar at worst. A number in the far left corner caught his eye. 

“2037?” Elijah quirked a brow, “Am I meant to believe it has been over six hundred years since I fell unconscious?” That felt impossible. Though Elijah knew it was, considering Finn has been daggered for nearly as long, though if this paper was to be believed his older brother would have been daggered for nearly a thousand years at this point. 

“Yes, brother,” Rebekah said haughtily, “And what else could have rendered us unconscious that long besides the daggers.”

“I know this is a big ask for you, but please do try to use some critical thinking skills for one moment,” Niklaus groaned, “Look at yourself. Look at Elijah. Look at Kol. Your appearance is in the exact condition as the moment we last remember. Your makeup could hardly withstand a night out on the town, how do you think it’d fair for half a millennia trapped in a coffin.”

“He has a point,” Kol shrugged, “Finn looks a right mess.” 

“Then what?” Rebekah stamped a foot down, “What else could explain our sleeping through the sixteenth century. And the seventeenth. And the—”

“You’re assuming we were unconscious for the time,” Elijah pondered, finally feeling himself enough to stand, “Perhaps we are suffering from memory loss.”

“Then why are we dressed exactly as we were the last moment I remember in 1490?” Kol asked. 

“I am only suggesting that we don’t make hasty assumptions as to what happened to us. Without all the facts, we can only speculate.” Elijah stood tall.

“Whatever it is that ails us is an attack on our family,” Niklaus bared his teeth, “I will not stand for it!” He kicked the table standing in front of the couch Elijah awoke on, causing it to splinter into two large pieces. 

Whatever response Elijah had died in his throat as they all tensed. Footsteps were approaching the room they found themselves in at a fast pace. Now that his head was clear and his siblings quiet, Elijah could make out some noise coming from the building they were in. Indistinguishable chatter and music flittered up from downstairs. He glanced at his siblings, readying himself for a fight as he saw them doing the same. 

“Whoever comes through that door may be the only key to our lost time,” Elijah reminded his family, “Keep that in mind.”

None of them acknowledged him, though he knew they understood. 

As the footsteps finally landed directly in front of the door, Elijah allowed his fangs to extend from his gums, leaving his face unchanged beyond that. 

“What the  _ hell _ is going on in here,” They heard the shrill voice before the door opened, “I swear if somebody actually started that vampire fight club we definitely group-vetoed last week I am going to lose it.”

As the door finally swung open, it revealed a stunning blonde woman wearing a top that revealed far more skin than any he’s seen in his century. And strange sort of dark blue pants. Either times have changed or they had awoken in a brothel of some sort. 

The blonde froze as she looked at them. Elijah could see recognition pass through her eyes and narrowed his eyes as he didn’t recognize her at all. 

“Oh my god!” She looked at them in disbelief, “Who told you that that haircut was a good idea?” She said looking straight at Niklaus. 

Elijah felt momentarily taken aback by the comment. That certainly wasn’t what he was expecting. And all of their hair was up to the latest trends in Europe. They set the latest trends. It came with the territory of nobility. 

Before he did something foolish like defend his brother’s choice in styling his hair, Rebekah flashed forward, slamming the blonde into the wall. 

“Now,” Rebekah said, gripping her neck, “Nik can hardly be blamed for not being up to date on the latest fashion.”

The blonde coughed, hands coming up to grip the fingers around her throat, struggling in-vein against the female original. 

“Enough,” Elijah called, “Allow the young lady a chance to explain herself before you kill her.” His voice was soft but left no room for argument. He stared at his sister until she reluctantly released the girl. She gasped for air as she dropped to the ground. 

“We’re at a disadvantage,” Niklaus chimed in, “You seem to know who we are, while I don’t believe I ever had the pleasure of your company.”

“Seriously?” He heard the girl mutter to herself as she rose from the floor, “Can’t have one normal holiday.” She grumbled, dusting herself off.

“I know who you  _ want _ me to think you are.” The girl said, crossing her arms, “I also know that’s impossible for like a million reasons. So, why don’t we give up whatever game this is and you tell me who you really are?”

“Are  _ you _ accusing  _ us  _ of something?” Finn asked incredulously. 

“Well, you wrecked one of our guest rooms and are wearing my family’s faces, so  _ yeah,  _ I’m accusing you of something,” She pressed her lips together, glancing at the broken glass littering the floor, “That vase was an antique, thank you very much.”

“I’m sorry,” Niklaus raised both his hands in mock surrender, “Let’s start over, love, because it seems tonight’s theme is nonsense. Let me make one thing clear— I am Niklaus Mikaelson and I am going to have to start ripping out hearts if I don’t get some answers in the next few seconds.”

“Okay, _Niklaus Mikaelson,_ I am Caroline Forbes and there’s just one thing wrong with your statement. The real Niklaus Mikaelson is currently downstairs making fun of silly human traditions with an impeccable haircut that is just long enough to curl without being so long that it distracts from his stupid face,” Caroline said in one breath, “And the second I scream for help _he_ is going to start ripping out hearts, starting with yours.”

“I’d love to see that,” Kol sauntered forward, “Go on then, give us a scream, darling,” He winked at Caroline, dashing forward in an attempt to make her flinch. 

His plan worked as the blonde shrieked, shouting his brother’s name—  _ Klaus _ — at the top of her lungs. 

Before Kol could make it across the room to touch Caroline, a blur came through the door, moving faster than he has ever seen any of his sibling's move, which should be impossible, and Kol was flung into the room’s fireplace. 

Elijah felt a gasp escape his mouth as the figure who knocked his brother on his ass came into focus. In the middle of the room stood Niklaus— a second Niklaus with much shorter hair and wearing pants similar to the ones Caroline wore. The new Niklaus glanced around the room, confusion and rage written on his face plain as day. 

“What in the bloody  _ hell  _ is going on here?” The shorter-haired Niklaus exclaimed.

Nobody answered as they stared at him in various states of shock. It was rare that an original could be stunned into silence but it seemed none of them could find their voices. 

“Brother, what is this ruckus about?” Another voice spoke up from the doorway and Elijah looked over only to find himself looking himself in the eye. 

_ Interesting.  _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One normal Christmas wasn’t too much to ask for. 
> 
> Right?

Elena was cautiously optimistic that this would be the Christmas where nobody’s neck was snapped. 

The problemed vampires were all on their best behavior on account of Caroline’s breakfast tirade. She made it very clear what she would do to anyone who ruined this year's festivities. In addition to Caroline holding down the house, they also managed to put a pin in any supernatural threat looming over them until after December. 

She’d hate to jinx things but, glancing around the room, she felt a fuzzy warmth go through her at the sight of everyone she cared about in one room. With no impending threat of death hanging over them.

A rare occurrence to say the least. 

Caroline and Bonnie were sitting on the floor gossiping in front of the tree. Their attempt at whispering was pointless in a room full of vampires but comforting in its familiarity. Enzo was trying to garner their attention by throwing balled up pieces of paper at them from the bar across the room. Alaric and Damon stood next to him, raiding the liquor cabinet— Elena had to make sure they didn’t get into Klaus’ private collection because that would end bloodier than Prom night— a safe distance from any of the Originals as Damon was none of their favorite vampire. 

Klaus sat in his armchair, opposite from the loveseat that Elena was cozied up in, shooting Caroline a look of such adoration Elena could almost believe the hybrid had actual stars in his eyes. 

Rebekah was swaying to the soft Christmas music playing over the record player, clearly tipsy but sober enough to rope Stefan into the dance. 

Jeremy had disappeared for a moment, it being his turn to grab everyone a fresh blood bag. Something he vehemently protested since he was one of the few in the room who didn’t partake in blood-drinking. It was a lopsided vote that sent Jeremy to the cooler in the basement. Kol decided to tag along, no doubt wanting to goad him into something that would liven the holiday up.

Their lives had settled since the days of moonstones and decade dances when it seemed like someone made an attempt on their lives every other Friday. 

It wasn’t completely normal. With the Original-In-Laws on one side and her makeshift Mystic Falls Family on the other, they were still a magnet for everything big, bad, and otherwise supernatural. But one of the perks of being engaged to the oldest vampire in existence was she always had the biggest and baddest on her side. 

She was curled up against Elijah on the couch, his arm wrapped securely around her shoulders while she laid her head on his shoulder. Her knees were tucked up, partially resting in his lap as she tried to nestle in closer to him. With Elijah resting his cheek on top of her head, Elena felt completely encompassed by him. 

“I don’t think Klaus liked our present,” Elena trailed a finger down his chest.

“No, I can’t imagine he found the humor behind it,” Elijah agreed, “I think we have to let a few decades pass before he’s willing to joke about that incident.”

Elena snickered thinking of Klaus’ face when he unwrapped his fire extinguisher, which turned into a full-on laugh as she recalled his face when he caught his villa on fire while taking his first stab at cooking in half a century. 

“Laugh it up,” Klaus looked away from Caroline, “When  _ your—”  _ He pointed at them with his glass of Scotch, “Favorite countryside villa burns down under mysterious circumstances, you will find no sympathy from me.”

“That would be a very scary thought if I had a favorite countryside villa,” Elena laughed, “Or if I owned a single countryside villa.”

“I do have the castle in Scotland,” Elijah said lightly, “I would be impressed if you could find a way to burn stone, brother.”

“Challenge accepted,” Klaus replied pointedly, getting up to refill his glass. 

“You own that castle?” Elena asked as Klaus walked away, “I thought we were just vacationing.” 

“As if I’d vacation somewhere I didn’t own,” Elijah looked down at Elena, tilting her head up with a finger under her chin to look her in the eye, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. 

“So you owned that resort we stayed at last year?”

“Of course not,” He feigned offense, “I owned the island.”

“Excuse me, my  _ lord, _ ” Elena poked his side, only half-sure he was joking, “I’m but a simple plebeian in your presence.”

“Hardly,” Elijah said, “You’ve grown quite used to using my black card in our time together.”

“Yeah, well,” Elena leaned up to place a kiss on his lips, “What’s yours is mine and all that.” She murmured a hair's breadth away from his mouth. 

“I don’t think that goes into effect until after we are married,” Elijah countered, kissing her softly, his hand moving from around her shoulders to cup the back of her head. 

“I’m practicing for our future.” Elena shifted to face him fully, throwing one leg over both of his, sitting in his lap. She leaned in to kiss him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“Hm,” Elijah hummed contentedly against her mouth, looping his arms loosely around her hips, “Our future.” He murmured between kisses. 

“Til’ death does us part,” She pulled back with a grin, “How does that work if we’re already dead?”

Elijah shrugged in faux apathy. His grip around her waist tightened as he chased after her mouth. 

“Guess we’ll just have to stay together forever,” He said as if there were no other options. 

They traded lazy kisses and Elena felt Elijah slip one hand under her shirt, resting it on the small of her back. 

“I love you,” She whispered, pulling back once more. 

“And I you, dearest,” He replied with such sincerity Elena felt her heart swell, “You are quite breathtaking,” He continued, brushing her hair out of her face with the hand not under her shirt, “All these years and I still find myself wondering how I received the honor of being yours. I don’t know if I’ll ever grow used to it.”

“I’m sure you’ll get tired of me after a couple of thousand years.” Elena looked away, unable to contain her smile. 

“Impossible.” He tutted.

Elena looked back at him. It was a privilege being able to look at him so intimately unabashed. She knew what he meant when he said he still wasn’t used to it.

Before they were together, Elena found herself looking at him. Stealing glances at every turn. Staring at the curve of his lips. The set of his jaw. The glimmer of his eyes. The way his arms and thighs filled in his suit. It felt like she was catching glimpses of the sun. She would be set ablaze if she stared too long. 

At the time she thought it was fear that motivated her staring; she needed to know where he was at all times, he was a threat. Then curiosity. Then admiration. Then guilt. The excuses kept building until one-day scrolling through her contact list she saw his name and realized she hadn’t talked to Elijah in years. Hadn’t seen him in even longer. She was hit with a feeling of such longing, it felt like a semi-truck barreling over her. 

Elena had such tunnel vision over the years, boxing herself into choosing one of the Salvatores, she never stopped to consider how Elijah had her heartbeat memorized. How she could pick out every microexpression that crossed his face and know what he was feeling. It annoyed her to think about the wasted years she could have spent in his arms if she had just read between the lines of his letter. Or even the plain script.  _ Always and Forever.  _

_ “ _ What’s going on in the lovely mind of yours?” Elijah asked, “You've gone quiet.”

She looked around and saw her friends still in their own little worlds. Klaus had butted his way into Caroline and Bonnie’s conversation. Damon had settled on a bottle of whiskey younger than he was and was nursing straight from the bottle, occasionally handing it to Enzo to have a drink. 

“Wanna get out of here?” She said in lieu of answering. 

“Miss Gilbert,” Elijah said evenly, imagining how the name Mrs.Mikaelson may roll off the tongue, “Are you trying to seduce me?” 

“Maybe,” She replied in a sing-song voice, “Is it working?” 

She giggled as Elijah forewent a verbal reply and growled at her, nipping gently at her bottom lip. 

Her good mood was cut through as they heard a loud crash come from upstairs. She felt Elijah tense under her as well. The room grew quiet, the record player filling the silence uneasily. 

“Nobody move. I’ll go check it out,” Caroline announced, breaking the tension, “Jeremy probably threw Kol out a window. It’s about time.” She stood up, slightly off-balance from the eggnog. 

“Careful, love,” Klaus grabbed her arm gently, “You might find it was Jeremy that was thrown out, then you’re stuck with Kol.” His attempt at a joke not quite landing as his eyes darted to the staircase, the corners of his mouth brittle in it’s forced smile. 

“Noted,” She gave him a peck on the mouth, “But I think I can handle myself. I mean, whatever it is can’t be worse than the mighty Mikaelsons and we kicked your asses in between midterms in high school.”

“You hardly kicked our arse,” Klaus’ smile grew genuine. 

“And I’m pretty sure you all flunked my class in the process,” Alaric added from across the room, “Like,  _ bad.” _

_ “ _ Excuse us for prioritizing,” Bonnie said, still on the floor, “Do we deal with the crazy ancient homicidal family in town or read chapter seven?” Caroline and Elena laughed with her, remembering the time that was an actual dilemma they found themselves in. 

“Ancient?” Rebekah pouted, “There’s no need to be rude.” 

“Truth hurts,” Caroline said with finality, before nodding towards the stairs, “Be back in a flash.” Were her parting words as she disappeared up the stairs.

“S’probably just a squirrel,” Damon took another swig of whiskey, “Wily little things.” 

* * *

_ “Brother, what is this ruckus about?”  _

Elijah watched dimly as the man he shared a face with inhaled sharply, clearly as taken aback as he was with the situation. The other man took an uneasy step into the room, unsure what to make of the scene. 

His hair was cropped shorter than Elijah ever thought to cut it, not even making it past his ears, coiffed upward, defying some law of nature. He wore a white collared shirt, with a charcoal grey overcoat buttoned over it. A useless piece of pale red fabric hung from his neck. His smooth breeches matched the coat of his color. All together a significantly different ensemble from the other Niklaus’ simple grey top and rough blue breeches.

“How harmonious, brother, I was just wondering the same thing,” Niklaus growled. The other Niklaus. The Niklaus who’s hair was almost as short as the other Elijah’s hair. The Niklaus who just flung their brother across the room in order to  _ protect  _ some girl. “Are you alright, love?” He reached to grasp Caroline’s wrist without taking his eyes off Kol who hadn’t recovered from his flight across the room. The girl had taken position behind him, not quite hiding but clearly taking comfort in his presence. 

“I’m fine,” Caroline huffed, “You know, if you wanted to impersonate the Originals, I would, here’s a thought,  _ not  _ show up at their house,” She said angrily, “Just a tip for the future.” 

“Kind of you to imply they have a future,” The man who looked like his brother smirked, his eyes shifting from Kol to the rest of the room, “I wouldn’t be so optimistic.”

“Alright!”  _ His _ Niklaus shouted, holding both hands up in a parody of surrender, “ I just awoke to a blonde harpy chucking pieces of furniture at my head, six hundred years after I supposedly fell unconscious, surrounded by my incredibly  _ hostile  _ family, only to be threatened by my incredibly hostile  _ self _ , so excuse me if I come off a bit cranky when I say I haven’t the foggiest clue what the hell you are chattering on about.”

“What is this trickery?” Finn asked, looking between from Niklaus to Elijah to the men they shared a face with. 

“Why don’t you tell us?” The short-haired Niklaus asked, “You are in  _ my _ home. Threatening  _ my  _ girl.” He blurred forward, pinning Finn to the wall with a forearm to his neck before anyone could blink, “The only reason I haven’t strung you up by your toes yet is I would like to know why you look like my siblings.” The blonde’s back was to Elijah now, though he could hear the minuscule slur of his words indicating his fangs had descended. Finn was rendered speechless, choking similarly to Caroline just a few moments ago. 

The other Niklaus grew impatient at Finn’s lack of response, despite his inability to respond. The blonde released the pressure on Finn’s neck, quickly grabbing for his wrist and spun them around. Now facing the group, Elijah could see the snarl marking the other Niklaus’ face. Finn dropped to one knee as his arm was twisted behind his back. The distinct sound of bone breaking echoed throughout the room as his older brother yelped in pain. 

Finn struggled against his grip to no avail. Elijah couldn’t comprehend how this man— whoever he was— was overpowering one of them. Finn was not the strongest among them due to his time in the coffin, but he was an Original nonetheless. Even their weakest could not be bested in terms of brute strength against a mere vampire. The only explanation was that this man did not just look like Niklaus. He was Niklaus. 

Thinking about the year. Their flash forward through time. Could it be possible these men were them?

“Hm,” Rebekah came to the same conclusion, ever the clever girl, “It seems we did move through time without any time passing. But a version of ourselves moved through time normally.” She nodded at the pair of doubles, “I guess this ranks as one of the stranger things that has ever happened to me. Am I around then?”

“You are saying you time traveled?” The other Elijah’s laugh was devoid of humor, “So, what? You’re claiming to be  _ us?” _

“I’ll give you points for creativity, no one’s ever tried something like this with us,” Niklaus said. The other Niklaus. _Hm._ Elijah was already feeling weary of the other’s presence, “I should mention, the higher your score, the more painful your death.” He added after a deliberate pause. He twisted at Finn’s arm harder, not allowing the injury to heal.

“We are not claiming to be anyone but ourselves,” Elijah finally found his voice, “If that happens to be—” He paused, searching for the right words, “Your past selves, then I believe we can all agree that stranger things have happened.” It made no sense but he came up short trying to find another explanation. 

“How did you get fire into these glass orbs?” Kol asked from the floor. He was content to lay in the debris of brick as his brothers and possible future brothers hashed it out, “It is quite fascinating.”

“What are you talking about?” Caroline asked, clearly annoyed, “Are you talking about the lightbulbs?” She followed his line of sight to the ceiling fan and attached light, “Is that how you’re gonna convince us you’re from the frickin’ Dark Ages? Getting confused by technology.”

“I’d hardly call the 1400s the Dark Ages,” Kol propped himself up on his elbows, “It was quite the improvement on the 1300s, that’s for sure.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know,” Caroline retorted.

“Neither would I,” Finn croaked, “If it helps any.” 

“This is the most pointless conversation I have ever had the displeasure to be a part of,” Rebekah stared at her nails, “We do not have to justify ourselves to you. We are who we are, believe it or don’t believe, I don’t care.”

“The 1400s?” His counterpart ignored the people around him, speaking to no one in particular, “Wonderful.” Elijah scratched at his jaw irritably, “If they are to be believed, then we have a Medieval Niklaus to deal with.” He directed the last comment towards the Niklaus of the future and their blonde companion. 

“Finally, someone is treating me like the threat that I am,” The long-haired Niklaus lifted his head, “Thank you, brother.”

“More like the nuisance you are,” He replied sourly, their banter surviving despite the centuries that separated these versions of each brother, “Just when you become semi-bearable, this happens,” His counterpart closed his eyes in frustration.    


“Typical,” Caroline said in commiseration, “This is just like the time we were finally having a totally normal life and Elena’s ex-doppleboyfriend showed up and used us to help him off himself. It took us like two years to get back on track after that.”

“I didn’t quite follow that,” Kol said, finally on his feet, still shaking off some of the brick shavings and soot that covered him, “Let’s start from doppleboyfriend.”

“It’s a long story,” Caroline stated, clearly ready to tell it, “Like, I’d have to start from the beginning, with this ancient love triangle, and I wasn’t even born yet. _You_ _guys_ weren’t even alive yet. I mean— if I believed you guys were actually them. Which I don’t.”

“Darling,” The other Niklaus cut her off, softer than he has ever heard him, “Babbling.”

“Right,” She nodded, “Thank you.” 

Elijah had zeroed in on the word  _ doppleboyfriend _ quite quickly. While the boyfriend part was as nonsensical as the rest, the root of the word meant something.  _ Had they found another doppelganger? Had Niklaus broken the curse? Did they find Katerina— of course they had. She could hardly run from them for so long. Did he kill her or did Niklaus?  _

“Who is Elena?” Was the question he ended up asking.

“Not your concern,” The other Elijah said sharply, his stance taking a more predatory turn.

“Your girlfriend, mate,” The future Niklaus steamrolled over his brother’s answer, finally releasing Finn. The injured vampire slumped onto both knees, flexing his arm in front of him as it healed, “A true beauty. Can’t fathom why she’s slumming it with you.” 

“Fiancé, actually,” Caroline corrected absentmindedly, “Was fiancé a word in the Middle Ages? God, this is confusing.” 

“No, darling, it was not,” Her Niklaus informed her, chuffed at the opportunity to annoy Elijah no doubt. Some things never changed, “Betrothed would have been the word of the century. The term fiancé didn’t crop up until the mid-1800s, perhaps the late 1700s. The time blends,” He waved a hand, stepping around Finn, “No matter.”

“I’m betrothed?” Elijah's eyes widened. Even in his time spent with Katerina, developing a strong relationship with her, he never imagined wedding. When he was human, it was all he thought about times. After he was turned, any thought of settling down died along with him. It didn’t seem feasible with his life, his family, Niklaus. He couldn’t deny the appeal of taking a wife. It was just hard to imagine sharing that depth of trust with another soul. 

“No,  _ I’m _ betrothed.” His counterpart snapped, “ _ You _ are unhappily single.”

Elijah met his glare, glaring back, as he heard both versions of Niklaus snort at the comment. 

It was hardly true. Yes, he enjoyed being in romantic entanglements, found a deeper pleasure in exclusive, devoted relationships than any other, but he could not be said to be unhappy while single. Following Katerina, he gladly swore off love. Two Petrovas, two broken hearts. Perhaps the centuries had softened him to the idea of a companion. It seemed his future self learned from his past though, finding a girl who didn’t share a face with his previous tragedies. 

While thinking of his past, Elijah realized their current stalemate could be broken by simply sharing information. He tells himself something only they would know and vice versa. Thus proving their shared lifetime. 

“Your name is Elijah Mikaelson, son of Mikael and Esther, you are the second of six,” Elijah stated calmly, with no preamble, “You wanted to propose to Tatia, though Mikael disapproved. As did Niklaus. For reasons I am sure you are aware of if we are the same person. You never had the opportunity following the events that turned us. Had you the opportunity to father a son you would have named him Henrik.”

The three outsiders of the group considered this information. While Caroline simply looked to their Niklaus for what to do, the two brothers of the future looked at each other, deciding how to respond. Their eyes darkened considerably at the mention of their lost brother’s name. It was not a topic they spoke of often. The last time had sent Niklaus into a rage that left their castle decimated. 

“I am the third of seven,” His counterpart finally said, “The second son. Third child.”

“That’s preposterous,” Rebekah said without skipping a beat, “I can’t believe I was beginning to believe this nonsense.” The veins beneath her eyes began to appear as she wanted to end this ruse where it stood. Which is what it was, seeing as these  _ imposters  _ couldn’t get something as simple as a family tree down. Elijah was inclined to allow Rebekah an opportunity to unleash her fury. Surely these two couldn’t overpower all of them, no matter the strength one seemed to hold. If it was sourced from magic, then it would not be easy to maintain against five Originals. 

“No,” Finn said quietly. He was standing now. Blood covered the already ruined sleeve of his tunic. “He’s right—” The eldest said, “How did you find out? I don’t understand. I would never— did I tell you about her?“

Elijah’s head whipped around to look at his older brother. Finn did not meet any of their gazes. His entire body screamed of tension, wound up like a violin string. His fists were clenched at his side and his words pushed through gritted teeth. This wasn’t an angry Finn though— Elijah had seen Finn angry and it was a far less pleasant affair. This was his brother resigned. 

There was another one of them. He had kept this from them. Presumably their entire lives. Another Mikaelson with whom he shared his blood. Were they as bloodthirsty as Kol? As ruthless as Rebekah? Cruel as Niklaus? Why had Finn hidden her? Was she another child born out of wedlock? She was most likely dead and gone. It seemed impossible that their mother would have secretly turned another. 

“What are you talking about?” Rebekah demanded, “We have another sibling? A sister?” She pressed harder, twirling to stare Finn down. 

“You kept this from us?” Kol said, equally angry, “For how long? Did you ever plan to reveal the truth to us?”

“Clearly, seeing as they know,” Finn muttered, “Perhaps it may have been easier had I not been rotting in a coffin.”

“Don’t try that,” Niklaus snapped, “You had over a century before that to tell us.”

“To what end?” Finn shouted, “She’s dead! The knowledge would have brought you nothing but indifference at best. Grief at worst.”

“I will not allow you to reveal too much of the future,” Elijah’s future self broke into the conversation firmly, attempting to defuse the situation, “We don’t know what force brought you here, nor if you are an adversary.”

“Believe that you are your own worst enemy malarky?” Kol quipped, still glaring at Finn, “Here I thought family was  _ always and forever  _ with you. Didn’t realize forever had a six hundred year expiration date.”

“I believe what I’ve seen over the past ten centuries and that is that none of you can be trusted,” His counterpart sniffed, placing his hands in what looked like holes cut into the side of his breeches.

“I can respect that,” Elijah said, “Seems we think alike.” He shot a sardonic smile at himself. 

“Okay,” Caroline said looking at her companions, “Moving forward on the assumption that these five people are you from the past,” She gestured wildly to the temporally displaced vampires, “What do we do with them?”

“I’m still rather fond of the thought of killing them,” The other Niklaus plopped down onto the couch Elijah woke up on, stretching his arms out on either side of him, “We are a very annoying lot. I don’t know how you put up with us, dear.”

“I take it day by day,” Caroline responded.

“The clear path here is to find a witch and go from there,” The future Elijah said, “Luckily for us, we happen to have a witch on the premises.”

“I hope Bonnie can send them back before dinner,” Caroline said, “We didn’t make enough dessert for everyone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you know the two spider-man pointing at each other meme? that’s this chapter. 
> 
> thank you for the interest in this story btw!! it’s a big motivator. I’m still deciding ships but i’m leaning towards Stebekah and Benzo, along with minor Finn/Sage


End file.
